Coconut Bread

I'm not a big fan of using coconut in bakes. I still prefer this fruit as a cool refreshing drink with bits of its flesh floating in the sweet clear juice. However, Bill Granger's Coconut Bread had really good reviews from the bloggers who made it which convinced me to try it out. 

Instead of dried desiccated coconut, I used fresh coconut shavings which I bought for a dollar from the local wet market. 

This bread is a coconut lover's dream bread, with the scent of aromatic coconut wafting through the kitchen when it was baking. The coconut flavour and its hint of cinnamon come through  in each bite. It's more of a bread than a cake with its slightly dense texture. But very delicious nonetheless... it didn't stay around long in my house. 

Coconut Bread (1 large loaf)

A Bill Granger Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups (295 ml) milk
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar (reduced to 3/4 cup)
• 5 ounces (140 grams) sweetened flaked coconut (I used fresh shaved coconut)
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted (I used olive oil)

Method

• Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray for baking pan
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut, and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add butter, and stir until just smooth — be careful not to overmix.
• Butter and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or coat it with a nonstick spray. Spread batter in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 50 mins to 1 hour). Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.
• Serve in thick slices, toasted, with butter.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake.